The first time Minneapolis/St. Paul played host to the big game, Washington beat Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVI.

New Orleans is now X-for-XI in Super Bowl bids.

Sick of the Roman numerals? Don't blame ya. In English: New Orleans is now 10-for-11 after losing Super Bowl 52 to Minny.

That was the biggest news to come out of the league's two-day spring meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead.

Indianapolis was the other contender for Super Bowl LII. The three bidders made final presentations to owners early Tuesday afternoon.

It was widely believed New Orleans would win the bid because 2018 is the city's tricentennial -- its 300th (um, CCCth?) birthday -- and because, well, it never loses these bids because its Super Bowls generally are so soundly run.

Last year's half-hour power outage notwithstanding.

It took four rounds of votes for Minnesota to emerge victorious. Unable to get a 'super' majority of 75% of the league's 32 owners on vote three, after Indy was eliminated, the final ballot required a mere majority -- that is, 17 owners.

The three Super Bowls before Minnesota's will be played in Glendale, Ariz.; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Houston.

As for other matters before the owners at these meetings, playoff expansion was tabled. At the earliest, owners might vote at their autumn meeting in October on whether to increase the playoff field to 14 teams from 12.

"I've never been in favour of it," New York Giants co-owner John Mara told QMI Agency on Tuesday morning, "but there are a lot of (owners) who seem to support it. At some point it will come up for a vote."

As for next year's draft, Mara said the league is forming a working committee to determine where, when and for how long the draft will be held.

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